Guwahati, March 30 — Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s blistering 15-ball half-century and a disciplined bowling display powered Rajasthan Royals to an emphatic eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in their IPL opener at Guwahati on Monday. Put in to bat by Riyan Parag on a pitch that had been covered earlier because of rain, Chennai were bundled out for 127 as Royals exploited the overhead conditions.
Sooryavanshi, described in the report as a 15-year-old prodigy, tore into the CSK attack, turning the contest decisively in a single explosive over that yielded 18 runs after Kartik Sharma dropped him. The left-hander smashed a six over point off Matt Henry and struck a couple of sixes off Noor Ahmad, becoming the third-fastest to an IPL fifty. With Sooryavanshi going after the bowling, opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal was content to rotate strike; Royals reached 128 for 2 in 12.1 overs to wrap up the chase.
Chennai’s innings collapsed in patches after a promising start from Jamie Overton, who top-scored with 43. Early movement from Nandre Burger and Jofra Archer paid dividends in the powerplay. Burger removed Sanju Samson, whose off-stump was uprooted attempting a mid-wicket slog, and Archer cleaned up skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad when he mistimed a drive. Burger was on a hat-trick in the second over after a surprise bouncer beat Ayush Mhatre’s bat and came off his gloves.
Ravindra Jadeja, returning to Rajasthan after the offseason trade, made an immediate impact with two wickets in his opening over. He trapped Sarfaraz Khan lbw and later had Shivam Dube caught at long-off, leaving CSK reeling at 57 for 6 inside eight overs. Despite Overton’s resistance, Chennai could not recover, and medium pacer Brijesh Sharma removed debutant Kartik Sharma as Royals wrapped up the innings.
After Sooryavanshi’s dismissal, Jaiswal (38 not out off 36) and Riyan Parag (14 not out off 11) finished the formalities with plenty to spare. Archer, Burger and Jadeja finished with key wickets for the Royals’ bowling effort, while Rajasthan’s batting display — led by the rapid half-century — underlined a statement performance on the opening night. For Chennai Super Kings, it was a sobering start and a reminder that reputation alone will not win matches.
Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 127 all out in 19.4 overs (Jamie Overton 43; Jofra Archer 2/19, Nandre Burger 2/27, Ravindra Jadeja 2/18). Rajasthan Royals 128 for 2 in 12.1 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 52, Yashasvi Jaiswal 38 not out; Anshul Kamboj 2/27). (PTI)
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/03/31/sooryavanshis-52-helps-rr-register-8-wicket-win-over-csk/
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Publish Date: 2026-03-31 06:40:00
